[Update 2020: This is a rare guest post from the wonderful Chris Syme—a woman who shares my combined interests in books and marketing. First published in 2017, the advice is timeless. There is an updated version of her book, which is linked in this article.] Book descriptions, blurbs, social media posts, ad copy. Even though […]
Share Your Love of Writing on the Job
What do you enjoy about writing at work? Beyond getting paid – which is always rewarding – what do you find fulfilling and fun about the writing you do on the job, for others? Is it … Collaborating with people you like and respect? Challenging your creative chops in the workplace context? Stretching yourself and exploring […]
Writing and Painting: The Art of Layering
Claude Monet: The Japanese Bridge (Image public domain) I’ve just finished reading Mad Enchantment by Ross King, about the later years of Claude Monet’s life. It covers the many years that Monet slaved over the giant water lily canvases that now grace the Orangerie in Paris. Reading about the Impressionist painters, you might imagine that they worked quickly, capturing the […]
Focusing on the Writing
Grammar and spelling are important, but focus may be your most valuable writing skill. Editors can fix the grammar. Only you can fix your focus. I posed the following question to a group of people who write in a busy corporate environment: “How do you find the focus to get the work done?” These are a few of their […]
Outgrowing Your Outline
The last couple weeks, I’ve heard a chorus of authors struggling with their outlines. “I’ve reluctantly concluded that my outline might need to be split into two books.” “Now that I’ve written most of the draft, I realize that I should narrow the focus.” The same thing happens to me regularly. I love outlines; they are […]
Why Writing Is Good For Your Career
How much writing do you do in your job today? How much of it is seen outside your team or your company? What might happen if you did more? Here are five compelling reasons to stop dodging those writing-related projects and amp up your output. Reason #1: Be a Hero Modern marketing thrives on employee-generated content, and it […]